Classifieds Ads, eBay-like items
We will automatically upload your classified ads to the web every day, so
that your readers can easily search ads on-line, electronically clip them
and print them. And people in your community can post their own eBay-style
auction items.

Web sites, newspaper auctions, classifieds, PHP programming.

What Is MarketPress?

What is it?
A continuous on-line auction is a web site used by people in your community to buy and sell merchandise.
You are probably familiar with national auction web sites, and with national classified ad web sites.
MarketPress brings these exciting capabilities to your local community, and brands them with your newspaper's
name.

How does it work?
People go to your newspaper web site and click a link that takes them to the continuous auction web site.
They go through a simple registration process to become members of the on-line marketplace. As they browse
through the items for sale, they place proxy bids on items they are interested in, and the system keeps
them informed via email as to the status of their bidding.
Some of the items are on-line classifieds instead of auction items. For classifieds, MarketPress hooks up
potential buyers with sellers either by phone or via email.

Why Choose MarketPress?

Add excitement to your newspaper's web site... and generate revenue.
A continuous on-line auction is a 24/7 marketplace where people in your community buy and sell items.
This extension of your newspaper's web site enhances your on-line presence, and transactions generate a
revenue stream to your newspaper.

No software for you to install and maintain.
MarketPress runs on our web server, and we do all of the software maintainence, data backups, and other
IT chores for you.

Very easy to use -- for your newspaper, and for your auction web site customers.
We pride ourselves on the ease of use of our software. Your continuous auction web site will be fun and
easy for both sellers and buyers to use. The screens that your newspaper uses to setup and maintain your
continuous auction web site are both simple and powerful.

Discounts for multiple licenses.
If you are purchasing licenses for multiple newspapers (or if your newspaper is part of a group of papers
interested in running auctions), then you can take advantage of our multiple purchase discounts. Click here
for details.

We listen to you -- your suggestions result in enhancements to the service.
We are constantly enhancing our software to make your continuous auction web site more successful. Our
best ideas come from our clients, and we are always happy to add new features based on the suggestions that
clients give us.

How Do People Use It?

Buying.
As a buyer, you browse through the inventory of items being auctioned. Finding an item you're interested in,
you place a bid (the maximum you're willing to pay). MarketPress places the minimum bid that makes you the
high bidder. As the item's auction continues, MarketPress keeps you informed, sending you emails as new bids
are placed, and giving you the opportunity to increase your proxy bid if someone else becomes the high bidder.

Selling.
Fill in a short, simple form and your item is available to all the MarketPress buyers browsing and searching
the web site. It's easy to monitor the progress of the auction, and when potential buyers have a question, you
are notified by email (but your email address remains private).

Classified Ads.
MarketPress also includes classified ads. They are are uploaded in batches from your newspaper classified
listings, and they are typed in by sellers. There is no bidding for classified items, they just give sellers
and buyers a way to connect.

How Do We Setup Our Marketplace?

How long does setup take?
In most cases, your on-line marketplace is turned over to you within two business days of your license
purchase. Although your web site is ready to run then, there are some customizations you may want to perform
before releasing it to the public. For example, you may want to define your own categories, tweak the text of
emails that the system will be sending to users, etc. The actual public release date of your on-line
marketplace is up to you.

How much setup do you do before you turn the web site over to us?
Before we give you access to the system we setup your entire website, complete with system email messages,
style sheets, item categories, etc. The web site is ready to be used, although you will probably want to
customize it a bit before announcing it to your community.

Can we make our auction web site look like our newspaper web site?
Yes. MarketPress is delivered to you with several pre-defined style sheets. You can create your own style
sheets easily. Anyone familiar with CSS can quickly get your MarketPress site looking like your newspaper web
site. You can build up an inventory of style sheets, switching between them whenever you like (e.g. you might
have a sheet that you use during holiday season).

Can we change the wording of the emails that the system sends to people?
Yes. The text of each email the system sends to members of your on-line marketplace is available to you for
customization.

We would like to gather demographic data about users. Can we do that?
Yes. You can specify a list of questions that are asked of everyone who registers as a member of your on-line
marketplace. The list of questions can be changed (or turned off) at any time.

Do we have to use a pre-defined set of item categories?
No. When your on-line marketplace web site is delivered, a predefined category list is included. You can use
those categories, or modify them to suit your needs, or build your own set of categories from scratch.

How do we set the amounts for fees charged to sellers?
You are able to view the list of all transaction types for which sellers can be charged. This list includes
things such as "fee for posting an auction item", "fee for setting a buy-now price", "fee for featuring my
item on the home page", etc. For each of these transaction types, you are able to (1) tell the system whether
it should charge for that transaction type, and (2) if so, how much will be charged. In other words, you have
complete control over your price schedule, and can adjust pricing whenever you wish.

What setup is needed before we can start uploading newspaper classifieds?
If you can generate an XML file (in the format defined here) containing your classified ad data, then
uploading the ads is simply a matter of clicking a couple of buttons. If your in-house system is not able
to generate an XML file in that format, then just let us know what format your system does generate, and
we will work with you to create a custom conversion program (for a small one-time fee).

What Support Will We Get?

What level of support do you provide?
We want your newspaper's on-line marketplace to be successful. We provide whatever technical support you need,
responding to any questions you have about the operation of the MarketPress software. But, we have made our
software so easy to use that you and the bidders participating in your marketplace will find little or no need
for support!

How will people learn to use the web site?
When someone registers, the system sends them a welcome email. This explains the operation of the web site.
From time to time, the system sends emails to people, explaining the status of their bids, and explaining
their options. In addition, of course, your web site will include frequently asked questions and their answers.

What if someone still has a question?
They will use the contact-us page. This will send you an email, and you will be able to view their question
and reply to it.

What if we can't answer the person's question?
Just forward the question on to us via email, and we will reply to you as soon as possible.

If I need support for MarketPress, how do I contact you?
You can reach us by email, by fax, or by phone.

Will you enter data (categories, price schedule, etc.) for our web site?
No. MarketPress is designed for you to do all the data entry and maintenance. The screens are very
user-friendly, and you have complete control over your on-line marketplace.

Will you help us learn about continuous auctions?
We can certainly give you some general ideas about running a successful online marketplace, but our satisfied
customers are the real experts -- newspapers who are using MarketPress to run profitable web sites. If you are
interested, we can put you in touch with them, and you can ask them for their input.

How Do Our Ads Get to the Site?

What setup is needed before we can start uploading newspaper classifieds?
If you can generate an XML file (in the format defined below) containing your classified ad data, then
uploading the ads is simply a matter of clicking a couple of buttons. If your in-house system is not able
to generate an XML file in that format, then just let us know what format your system does generate, and
we will work with you to create a custom conversion program (for a small one-time fee).

Option two: Your format
If your in-house software systems are not able to generate an extract file in the format described above,
then as part of the setup of your MarketPress license, we will -- for a one-time fee -- write a custom program
to take your export format and convert it to our XML format.

Converting your classified categories
Regardless of what file format you use for classified uploads, you will need to specify how to convert the
classified categories used in your newspaper to the category names used in MarketPress. We will work with
you on this during the setup of your MarketPress license.